Houston Skyline
Kala Marie Golden was leaving a paediatric centre in Houston when she was shot dead and her baby was snatched Reuters

A three-day-old baby who was snatched after his mother was shot dead trying to protect him has been found safe and well.

Kala Marie Golden was leaving Northwoods Paediatric Centre in Houston when she was confronted by a woman who repeatedly shot her.

Witnesses said that the women snatched the baby from his mother and sped away in her car as Golden bled to death screaming "My baby!" and struggling to get back into her own vehicle to chase the attacker.

It was also alleged that a man was with the woman in their bloodstained car.

The baby boy was found safe six hours later.

Golden's mother, Linda, told Associated Press that she was told of the incident by a bystander who contacted her through the victim's mobile phone.

By the time she arrived, her daughter was dead. "I wanted to kiss her before they put her in the ambulance," Linda said.

She said her daughter was naturally non-confrontational.

"That's the hardest she's ever fought," she said of the attack. "She died trying to save her baby."